


Road trip to Cleveland

by Little_Plebe, RsCreighton, SomethingIncorporeal



Series: To Cleveland and Beyond [1]
Category: Captain America (Movies), Marvel (Movies), Marvel Cinematic Universe, Thor (Movies)
Genre: Avengers Family, Bruce Banner Has Issues, Bucky Barnes & Steve Rogers Friendship, Community: pod_together, Complete, Darcy Lewis is a happy drunk, F/M, Matchmaker Natasha Romanov, Not Captain America: Civil War (Movie) Compliant, Pepper Potts has a no PDA rule, Podfic, Podfic & Podficced Works, Post-Avengers: Age of Ultron (Movie), Road Trips, Tony Being Tony
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-22
Updated: 2016-09-10
Packaged: 2018-07-25 15:09:19
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 8
Words: 19,752
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7537579
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Little_Plebe/pseuds/Little_Plebe, https://archiveofourown.org/users/RsCreighton/pseuds/RsCreighton, https://archiveofourown.org/users/SomethingIncorporeal/pseuds/SomethingIncorporeal
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>When Bucky Barnes breaks into Helen Cho’s Cleveland lab, Steve asks Tony and Natasha for help, and what’s initially a one day Get-Barnes-Home mission turns into an exciting road trip that is set to change the lives of everyone involved. Add an exasperated Bruce, a disapproving Pepper and a perky Darcy to the mix and Steve’s got his hands quite full.</p>
<p>*Featuring art museums, hilarity, drunkenness, Tony Stark’s amazingness and a never before seen Bruce/Natasha romance.</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Helen Cho and the break-in

**Author's Note:**

> This story was written for the Pod_together community challenge.
> 
> Writer: Little_Plebe  
> Podfic by: RsCreighton and SomethingIncorporeal
> 
> Enjoy reading and do let us know what you think.

  
**Title:**   Chapter One  
**Author:**   Little_Plebe  
**Reader:**   RsCreighton & SomethingIncorporeal  
**Length:**   13:31  
**Format:**   MP3, Streaming  
**Cover Artist:**   SomethingIncorporeal 

  
[ Click Here For Mobile Streaming ](http://rscreighton.parakaproductions.com/Podfic/201608/Cleveland/Chapter%20One.mp3)  


[**Download File**](http://rscreighton.parakaproductions.com/Podfic/201608/Cleveland/Chapter%20One.mp3)  
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It was a cold Friday morning in February and the area surrounding Euclid Avenue was still asleep. A few early risers could be seen on the streets, finishing their morning jogs and cardio, but the shopkeepers were still in bed, rendered lazy by the cold weather. It was still too early to comment on that considering it was merely seven thirty in the morning, but a lone figure dressed in a professional shirt and a pencil skirt partly covered by a knee length overcoat, walking briskly down the sidewalk, painted a completely different picture against the sleepy backdrop of Cleveland, Ohio.

Dr. Helen Cho was not bothered by the cold weather as she quickly made her way to the Walker Center where her lab was situated. What bothered her was the biting wind whipping around her face, messing up her hair and tangling it further than it already was. Combing her hair was not on Helen’s list of priorities that morning. She had received an automated message from the Human Genetics Lab alarm system half an hour earlier and it seemed like someone had broken into her lab.

Helen tried to convince herself that it was some kind of malfunction in the system, because nobody had ever broken into her Cleveland lab. It was a well kept secret and she rarely used it. Whenever she came to the States, she spent most of her time at the Avengers compound with Dr. Jane Foster and Dr. Erik Selvig. Their fields of science were different but both Jane and Erik were extremely intelligent and they were good company. It was always a bonus when Stark visited them but this time, Helen was in America because Dr. Bruce Banner had returned from wherever it was he had disappeared after the Ultron debacle. The Avengers had searched for him but he had turned up two weeks ago on his own.

For some reason that even she herself wasn’t sure about, Helen had decided to take a detour to Cleveland instead of going directly to New York. It was just as well since the very next day her flight from Korea landed, the alarm system went off and she received the break-in message. It was best if she checked it out first before involving the cops. _Because it’s definitely a system malfunction_ , she told herself, _definitely_.

The Human Genetics Lab was steeped in darkness when Helen entered. She shut the door behind her and quickly checked the alarm. It seemed to be working fine. The geneticist fingered the taser Darcy Lewis had given her during her last visit to the States as she slowly made her way further into the lab. It was dark but it wasn’t that dark that she couldn’t make out the familiar shapes of the furniture, the work tables, the computer and the various machines and equipment that Helen kept in that lab for whenever she felt the need to visit.

Everything was intact. Not even a pen was out of place. That much Helen could make out in the morning rays pouring through the open window. She was just about to heave a sigh of relief when she did a double take, her eyes flying to the open window. Her fingers wrapped tightly around the taser in her bag as she used her other hand to switch on the lights.

The shadows disappeared as the entire room was bathed in artificial light. There was a figure standing in the corner to her left.

“Please don’t scream,” the figure said.

Helen screamed, hand pulling out of her bag of its own volition and pressing the trigger on the taser. The metal probes shot towards the intruder and struck him in the abdomen. He jolted a bit from the shock but didn’t go down as Helen had expected. Instead, to her surprise, he plucked the wires from his skin and let them fall to the ground, cocking his head to grace Helen with a small frown. She would have screamed again or tried to electrocute him a second time but it was then that she noticed the metal arm and the long hair and she remembered reading about him in books and Steve showing her his photograph last time they were alone together.

It was Sergeant James Barnes, or more recently known as the Winter Soldier.

He wasn’t frowning anymore but he was still looking at her, his eyes flickering to the tiny device in her hand as if expecting her to pull the trigger again.

“Are you here to kill me?” Helen asked, her voice mostly steady.

He shook his head and looked at the taser again. Helen gave him a once over. If she was being honest with herself, Barnes looked rather innocent as he stood there in her lab in a torn jeans and t-shirt, looking worst for wear. A large piece of fabric that could only be his coat lay on the floor by his feet. Hoping she wouldn’t regret her decision, Helen slowly lowered the taser and spoke to him, this time gently.

“Are you here to see me?”

He nodded. So he had known she would be in Cleveland. That, or he had followed her.

“What do you want from me?”

Barnes lowered his eyes and looked to be ashamed of answering her question. What could he possibly want from her? He was supposed to go to Steve, who was out there searching for him in places like Germany and Romania when Barnes was right under his nose.

“There’s something wrong with my arm,” he spoke. His voice was raspy from misuse. “I can’t fix it.”

Helen watched wide-eyed as he wrapped his flesh hand around the wrist of his metal arm and raised it, but when he released it, instead of staying up, the metal arm flopped back to his side as if it was boneless.

“How did that happen?”

“It hasn’t been serviced in months.”

There was a slight derisiveness to his voice that Helen couldn’t ignore. Throwing caution to the wind, she stepped into his space and touched his metal arm. He didn’t back away nor did he give any reaction to her touching him. Instead he fixed his big blue eyes on her and gave her a pleading look.

“I know about your invention of the Cradle,” he said, surprising her again. “Can you give me a new arm?”

Helen later supposed she should have seen it coming. Why else would the Winter Soldier follow her and break into her lab? While the Cleveland lab—or even her lab at the compound—didn’t have the tools or the resources required to give him a flesh arm, the least Helen could do was help him fix what was broken. He was Steve’s friend and he didn’t look hostile. Helen Cho was a kind soul and James Barnes had sought her out; she wasn’t going to let his efforts go to waste.

“I can’t give you a new arm,” she told him. “With Vision, I had Vibranium and the Mind Stone and I like to think it was pure luck, but be assured that it was a one time thing. The Cradle cannot create body parts, it can only mend them.” She tried not to see the disappointment in his face as she continued, “But maybe I can fix your arm. Get it to work again.”

He seemed to consider it but he didn’t really have a choice. “Yes. Thank you.”

Helen looked at Barnes’ grateful face and nodded. She was doing the right thing, she told herself. She wasn’t afraid of him—she had been through worse with Ultron controlling her mind and getting shot during the fight in the lab—but she reminded herself that she had to be careful around Barnes. She didn’t want to do anything or behave in any way that would trigger the Winter Soldier in him. She didn’t even know how it worked. She would have to ask him about it.

She pointed to a high metal chair in the middle of the room. “Please take a seat there. I need to call Steve, then I’ll take a look at your arm.”

He tensed at the mention of Steve’s name. Helen raised her eyebrows at him. If he thought that she wouldn’t at least inform Steve of his presence in her lab, he was seriously misled. Steve deserved to know and she willed Barnes to understand that.

Maybe he did, maybe he didn’t, but he shrugged and wordlessly strode to the chair, checking its arm rests for goodness knows what and then seated himself in it, his back straight and his metal arm hanging uselessly by his side. Helen kept her gaze on him as she fished in her coat pocket for her cell phone. She scrolled through her contacts until she found Steve’s name and pressed the call button next to it. He picked it up on the first ring.

“Hi, Dr. Cho.”

“Steve, how many times do I have to ask you to call me Helen?”

“Sorry. Hi, Helen.”

Helen smiled, pointedly ignoring Barnes wince in the background. If she was guessing correctly, he had enhanced hearing just like Steve, and hearing his old friend’s voice on the phone must be uncomfortable, especially since the last time Steve and Barnes were together, Barnes had tried to kill him.

“I’m pleasantly surprised to receive your call,” Steve was saying. “I thought you were coming to New York.”

“I was but there’s been a change of plans. I’m in Cleveland and I’m going to be here for a while.”

“Why Cleveland?” A pause, then, “Is something wrong?”

There was no point in beating around the bush because there was no better way to say what she was about to say. So Helen skipped right to the point. “Your friend James Barnes is here.”

Steve took some time to reply. “I’m sorry I must have misheard you. Can you repeat what you just said?”

A soft snort made Helen look in Barnes’ direction again. His eyes were closed and he looked mildly amused.

“I said your friend James Barnes is here. He needs my help to fix his metal arm. I… uh… thought you should know that he’s with me.”

“James Buchanan Barnes, as in my best friend Bucky who I’ve been searching for all these months, is there with… you?”

“Yes.”

There was a pause during which Helen heard Steve take in a shaky breath. She couldn’t tell if he was happy or offended or just plain confused at hearing the news that Bucky had sought Helen out and not him.

“Is he there now? I mean, is he near you?”

Helen glanced at Barnes to see him open his eyes and look at her. “Yes, he’s here.”

Another pause.

“Steve, are you there?”

“May I speak with him?”

Barnes’ flesh hand started twitching and he looked slightly alarmed. That reaction was enough to tell Helen that he wasn’t ready to talk to Steve yet. She sighed; she hated breaking Steve’s heart.

“Sorry, Steve.” She waited for him to say something but when he didn’t, an idea struck her and she said, “But you could come here and see him personally, if you want. I don’t know what’s wrong with his arm or how long it’s going to take me to repair it, but… you can take your time. Hopefully, by then, he’ll be ready to see you.”

“Are you sure?” He sounded uncertain. She didn’t blame him.

“Yeah, I mean, why not? I’ll knock some sense into his head.”

“What if he hurts you? What if he runs away?”

“He won’t. But I’ll let you know if that happens.”

“All right. Let me call you back, Helen. I need to talk to Tony and Natasha. Be careful.”

“I will. See you soon, Steve.”

She disconnected the call and looked up to find Barnes watching her warily. “Why’d you think I won’t run away?”

To be honest, Helen had no idea why she had said that to Steve, maybe to just make him feel better and give him confidence. But she realized that Barnes had let her call Steve in the first place. He could have snatched her phone the moment she told him about calling Steve but he didn’t. So maybe he was open to seeing his childhood friend again, not immediately but definitely sometime in the near future.

She shrugged and decided to tell him the half truth. “Call it a hunch,” she said, walking up to him and gently easing him back in the chair. “You shouldn’t torture him like that, you know. He deserves a chance to see his best friend and you deserve a chance at redemption.”

He leaned back against the chair and stared stonily up at the ceiling. “I don’t think I can ever be redeemed.”

“That’s not true.”

Helen ran her fingers down his arm, assessing the damage done to the metal and checking for some sort of an opening. He had recently been in a fight, that much was clear. Although she couldn’t see any noticeable injuries on his person, his clothes were torn and dirty, and his metal arm was scratched and blackened in places. Before she could ask him what had happened to him, he spoke.

“You think so?”

She struggled to remember what she had said to him. It took her a few seconds but when she remembered, she paused in her inspection to give him a small, confident smile. She had initially wondered if she would be able to handle him but here, right now, he was her patient. And patients she could handle. In fact, she was very good at that. Without even pausing to consider, she answered him.

“I know so.”


	2. Pepper Potts is bad at threats

  
**Length:**   13:24  
**Format:**   MP3, Streaming  
**Cover Artist:**   Little_Plebe 

  
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Pepper Potts pretended to act impatient and professional as Tony Stark led her past the tower lobby, up the elevator and to his suite at the top of the Stark Tower. The curious gazes of their employees followed them but by now everyone was used to Tony’s behavior. Pepper was rarely in New York and whenever she visited, Tony demanded her undivided attention and mostly kept her ensconced in their room in the tower, not letting her out of his sight.

Pepper’s hand was grasped in his and he practically dragged her into the bedroom. Her air of impatience and professionalism melted in the privacy of their suite and she draped her arms around Tony’s neck when he sat her down on the bed and dropped to his knees between her legs. In his position, his head came up to her chest and he waggled his eyebrows at her, making it difficult for her to rein in her amusement. She was always trying not to show how giddy he made her feel or how his antics never ceased to amuse her, because she didn’t want to let him know that there was nothing that he could do that would annoy her, that she had fallen so deep for him that despite his sarcasm and inappropriateness, whatever he did, it would just make her love him more.

“I did something.”

He was grinning widely and although the way he had spoken indicated to Pepper that he had done something _wrong_ , he did not look the least bit sorry or ashamed.

“Please don’t tell me you cancelled the trip to Kansas,” said Pepper. “Tony, the hospitals have already been informed and your schedule has been cleared for a week next month.”

Tony looked adorably puzzled for a few seconds before he hastily replied, “No, no, I’m definitely going to Kansas, Pep. I like visiting children, you know that.”

Children seemed to worship Iron Man and Tony loved being the center of attention. He probably had more fun visiting sick children and giving them gifts than he did inventing things in his lab.

Pepper nodded and bent down to lay her cheek on his shoulder. “Then it can’t be that bad,” she murmured. “Unless you sent a sex toy to Senator McCain again, which, I should tell you, he doesn’t mind anymore. Poor guy is so used to it that he has come to think it’s funny you pay so much attention to him.”

Tony snorted. “Guess it’s time we stopped funding him then, if I managed to corrupt him so easily.”

Pepper yawned and hummed tiredly. She was entirely too comfortable in their embrace. She reminded herself that she was on an overnight break and there were no meetings until tomorrow evening. She was allowed some sleep, some love and maybe some hot food if Tony got around to letting her out of the suite. They could always order in…

She felt his arms circle her waist and pull her body into his. “Pep,” he whispered.

“Hmm?”

“I cancelled all your meetings for the next two weeks.”

Her eyes snapped open and she pulled back to blink at him. “What?”

“Cap’s dead best friend came to life and it’s our job to reunite them and reignite their bromance.”

Pepper, who was generally well versed in Tony’s style of speaking, was ashamed to say that his words made no sense to her at all. “What are you talking about?” she asked. It was unclear whether he was joking or making stuff up so that she would stay more but if he had truly cancelled her meetings for the next two weeks, there would be hell to pay.

“Okay, so it seems you require the whole story.” He spoke fast, excited gaze fixed on hers and fingers playing with the hem of her shirt. “When S.H.I.E.L.D. fell, Cap discovered that his childhood friend, Bucky Barnes, is still alive and kicking. HYDRA brainwashed him and made him into their puppet but apparently he remembers stuff about his old life because he has stopped gunning people down and is currently hiding in Helen Cho’s lab in Cleveland.” Tony paused with a huff. “I can’t believe Helen didn’t tell me about her Cleveland lab. I mean, what’s so secret about it anyway? Does she breed a different species of human there or something? And what exactly—”

“Tony, focus.”

“Right. Anyway, so Helen called Steve to inform him that his stray puppy had broken into her lab and since Sam Wilson is on a mission with Rhodey, Steve wants me to go with him as backup. I told him that you wanted to join as well and he said yes.”

Tony grinned unrepentantly and Pepper was beginning to get an idea about what was coming next. She tried to keep her temper in check. “You told Steve that I wanted to join.”

“Yeah, I mean, why not? It’ll be fun.”

Pepper glared at him but managed to speak calmly. “You want me to fly with you and Steve to Cleveland.”

“No, no, yikes! No flying. We’re driving there.” He was practically bouncing on his knees.

“Driving?”

“ _Yes_! I turned this Get-Bucky-Home mission into a road trip! Cap said Barnes is not ready to see him just yet and Helen needs time to fix his horrendous metal arm—which I think he broke trying to blow up another HYDRA base—so we have time to chill before that and I thought, hey why don’t we all go on a road trip rather than just fly to Cleveland, grab Barnes and return to New York, ‘cause that’s so boring and I think…”

He trailed away because Pepper had gone red and had started to breathe hard in an attempt to control her temper. His grin faltered and he looked at least a little fearful of her expression.

“You mean to tell me that you cancelled my meetings up to two weeks because you want to go on a road trip?”

“Uh… did I say that? No, I mean… kind of?”

“Tony!”

Her grip on his shoulders tightened, making him wince, but, to his credit, his voice was steady when he eagerly said, “What? It’s a good idea. You need a break, I need a break, everyone needs a break. A road trip could be just what we need.”

Pepper shook her head. “I can’t believe you messed with my schedule. You can’t… you aren’t allowed—you _shouldn’t do_ that, Tony!”

“Of course, I’m allowed. I’m your boss.”

“I’m the CEO of Stark Industries.”

“Yes but you were my PA first. Besides, I’m your future husband. Don’t I have some say in the matter?”

“Maybe twelve percent say…”

Tony grinned. “Touché.”

“And you’re not my future husband. You haven’t even proposed yet.”

“I haven’t? Oops, my bad. Will you marry me, Pep?”

“Not unless you fix my schedule. Jesus, Tony, I was supposed to meet the owner of Aldron Industries on Thursday. Do you know how hard it is to get an appointment with that guy?”

“Not as hard as me getting an appointment with you, I’m sure.”

“Tony…”

“Come on, Pep. This is not such a big deal. Look, Natasha and Bruce are also going. We’ll all get to hang out. There will be no world saving, no work, no responsibilities, just us and the empty road.”

“Don’t wax poetic about a silly road trip.”

“Hey, don’t call it silly! I planned it.”

“What _did_ you plan exactly?”

“I’m afraid I can’t tell you. Wouldn’t want to ruin the surprise.”

Pepper rolled her eyes. She was still angry with him but she also knew that he was right. They hadn’t had a lot of time with each other in the past few months, what with Pepper being busy running the company and Tony devoting all his time towards upkeeping the Avengers and spending more time at the new Avengers Facility. Deep down, she realized that she actually liked the idea of a road trip but she was annoyed that it came at the expense of rescheduling all her important meetings after two weeks. She also thought it prudent to let Tony know that should he try a similar stunt in the future, Pepper wouldn’t be as forgiving as she was being in that moment.

“Okay. I’ll come,” she finally said. Tony’s face lit up like a Christmas tree. “But you have to promise to not play with my schedule again. I mean it, Tony.”

“All right.”

“I’ll resign as CEO and… and I won’t marry you.”

“Hey, hey, hey. I said all right. I won’t do it again, I promi—well, I can’t promise something like that… but I will try,” he added quickly at the look on her face.

Pepper watched him with narrowed eyes. She supposed that was the best she would be able to get out of him. She wanted to be cross with him, scold him, not speak to him for the remainder of the day but he was looking at her with such childish excitement that Pepper couldn’t find it in herself to do any of those things and her anger almost melted when he pulled her towards him for a brief hug.

“I swear on my arc reactor that you won’t regret it.”

“I better not. Or you’ll have hell to pay.”

Tony snorted. “You’re bad at threats, Pepper.”

He stood up and wobbled on the spot, bending down to massage his knees with a scowl. Pepper waited until he had flopped on the bed before she crawled up to him and raised a leg over his torso, straddling his stomach. Trapping his hands above his head, she leaned down on him, her eyes dark and her lips pursed.

“You’ll have hell to pay,” she repeated, trying and failing to make her voice sound appropriately dangerous. It came out all throaty and wrong.

Tony shook his head. “That’s not threatening at all. If anything, you sound seductive.”

Pepper blinked. “I do?”

“I’m totally turned on right now.”

“You’re always turned on, Tony.”

“True, that.”

“What’s wrong with threatening not to marry you?”

“Come on, Pep. We both know you’ve been fantasizing about marrying me since you laid eyes on my beautiful face that fateful day when you showed up for an interview at Stark Industries and couldn’t stop staring at my lips.”

“I was staring at your teeth actually. There was a piece of spinach wedged—”

“That is a lie and I refuse to believe it,” Tony interrupted her loudly, sounding predictably annoyed.

Pepper grinned. _Score_. She let go of his hands—they found their way to her waist—and draped herself comfortably over his chest, pressing her lips to his. He let her take control of the kiss, content with being in her embrace for now. When she pulled away, her auburn hair falling over either side of his face like a shimmering curtain of fine threads, Tony chuckled.

“If I had known a road trip would earn me a kiss like that, I’d have planned it a long time ago.”

Pepper pinched his cheek hard. “You were too busy chasing skirts to plan road trips for your underpaid assistant.”

“Ouch.”

“Don’t be an ass. Tell me when we’re leaving.”

“Tomorrow morning.”

“But I haven’t packed…”

“It’s all taken care of.”

“So you knew I’d say yes.”

“Well…”

“I hate you.”

“But I love you.”

Warmth spread through her at his words. Tony wasn’t an expressive person. He hugged her, kissed her and enjoyed all kinds of physicals perks of their relationship, but verbal declarations of love and need were not his forte. Pepper cherished those rare moments when he told her she looked beautiful or when he said he loved her.

That didn’t mean she would excuse his behavior. “Tony, you better behave yourself on the road. I don’t want to be embarrassed by your antics, especially in front of Bruce and Steve.”

“What are you talking about? I’m always on my best behavior.”

Pepper bit back a scoff. “Yeah, right.” She really didn’t have the strength to argue with him anymore. They had enough banter for the evening and she was beginning to get sleepy again, lulled into drowsiness by the heat of his body, the faint smell of his cologne and her own exhaustion. She buried her face in Tony’s neck and yawned loudly.

“Tell me about this Barnes character.”


	3. Darcy Lewis joins in the fun

  
**Length:**   16:33  
**Format:**   MP3, Streaming  
**Cover Artist:**   Little_Plebe 

  
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“Pack your bags. We’re going on a road trip.”

Darcy Lewis stared at Natasha Romanoff’s retreating back in disbelief. Natasha always looked so intimidating that sometimes Darcy couldn’t tell whether the female Avenger was serious or joking. She watched the other woman disappear from the lab and shrugged to herself. It seemed like a joke this time. The Widow wasn’t stupid enough to say something like that and then vanish without any sort of an explanation.

Unfortunately for Darcy, that was exactly what the Widow had done. She reappeared an hour later and pressed a hand on Darcy’s shoulder. The tiny brunette jumped and glared at the Avenger.

“Wear a bell around your neck, you sneaky cow.”

Maybe it was not a good idea to call the world’s best spy a cow but Natasha had always let Darcy get away with a lot of things. She figured the redhead had a soft spot for her. The reason behind that soft spot, though, was a mystery even to Darcy.

“Didn’t I tell you to pack your bags?”

Darcy gaped at her. “Are you frikking serious? I thought you were messing with me or something.”

“Why would I mess with you about something like that?”

“I don’t know. You tell me.”

Natasha rolled her eyes. “You have no faith, Darce. Go pack your bags now.”

Before she could turn around and leave again, Darcy stood up and wrapped firm fingers around the Widow’s wrist. “I’m not doing anything until you tell me what this is about.”

The reason for the spontaneous road trip, it turned out, was simple: they were all going to get Helen Cho and Captain America’s best friend, Bucky Barnes, who had somehow crash landed in Helen’s lab without prior warning. Darcy knew about Bucky Barnes and Captain America’s quest to find him. In fact, the Captain had returned from Romania merely a month or so ago, claiming that Barnes’ trail had gone cold again.

Darcy didn’t know Captain Rogers very well since he was away from the facility for months on end, but she was privy to certain compound gossip curtsey of the Black Widow. She knew how much Barnes meant to Rogers and she also understood the reasoning behind turning this one day mission into a short vacation. What Darcy didn’t understand was why _she_ was invited along for the ride. She knew Tony and Natasha because she had become friends with them; she was comfortable with Bruce because he had arrived two weeks ago and spent most of his time either in the lab or being stalked by the Widow; but she had barely talked to Captain Rogers, she wasn’t invested in his search to find Barnes like the other Avengers were, and she was honest to God afraid of seeing Pepper Potts who was going on the trip as well.

“So, color me confused,” Darcy said, translating her doubts into words. “Why am I going?”

“You’re important to us.”

Darcy crossed her arms and raised a skeptical eyebrow. “Come on, Nat, you can do better than that.”

Natasha smirked. “It’s the truth. We want you to come with us.”

“But you don’t need me. Besides, I have work to do.”

“And what work would that be?”

Darcy fumbled. She glanced at her open laptop screen which displayed her blog page. Since Jane had left for London to visit her mom and Helen wasn’t at the compound, Darcy really didn’t have any work to do. Bruce was still warming up to her and wouldn’t let her anywhere near his experiments. So she mostly spent her days updating her blog, gossiping with Natasha and Wanda, and watching Vision attempt to cook in the kitchen. Initially, it was fun… until it got boring.

Truth be told, the idea of a road trip with the Avengers sounded very appealing but the fact remained that they didn’t really need her and she was afraid of being the equivalent of a third wheel in their group. Plus, she was afraid of pissing her pants in front of the great Pepper Potts.

She casually listed out her excuses to not go. “I have to update my blog and I have to analyze Jane’s old data just to be sure I didn’t miss anything important and then I have to—”

“Darcy,” Natasha cut in. “You’re wasting time. We leave tomorrow morning and I want you to be packed and ready at the compound entrance at seven hundred hours sharp. Got it?”

“No. I _don’t_ got it,” replied Darcy stubbornly. “I’m not going. You can’t force me.”

Natasha ignored her and turned to leave. “See you in the morning, Darcy.”

“Nat,” yelled Darcy but the redhead didn’t turn around. “I’m not going. I’m _not_ going!”

She was totally going. There was no refusing Natasha Romanoff if you wanted to live peacefully on the compound. That was one rule everyone obeyed.

Darcy stomped her foot on the floor and cursed loudly. This was going to be so embarrassing.

 

Cold air slapped her face the moment Darcy stepped out of the compound gates. She was glad she had packed lots of warm clothes for the trip. If she knew Tony Stark, he would be blasting the air conditioner in the vehicle like it was the middle of summer. Tony and Natasha both preferred the cold. So did Jane. Darcy wondered if it was a genius thing. She pulled her beanie over her hair, tightened the scarf around her neck and made her way to the lone minivan standing in the driveway.

The minivan was bright orange in color and was covered with stickers of Iron Man, the Hulk, science jokes, sex jokes and insults to other drivers on the road. Darcy wheeled her bag to the trunk where Captain America and Tony were loading the luggage.

“Let me guess, this is yours?”

Tony turned at her voice. “Shortstack, you’re coming, too?”

“Natasha threatened me.” That was a lie but she could exaggerate if she wanted to. “Hey, thanks,” she said when the Captain silently took her bag and placed it in the trunk.

Tony beamed. “Good, good. You like the vehicle, eh?”

Darcy nodded. “I definitely approve.”

“I don’t.” Pepper Potts walked over from the front of the van and glared at Tony. “Don’t do it if you can’t keep it up,” she read a sticker on the side of the van, looking vaguely disgusted. “Really?”

“That’s not even the worse,” said Bruce, appearing beside Pepper. “Hi, Darcy.”

Darcy nodded, her attention still focused on the CEO of Stark Industries. She reminded herself that it was rude to stare but Pepper was tall, immaculate, formidable and utterly gorgeous. Darcy couldn’t help but drool a little.

“There’s another one up front,” Bruce was saying. “It reads ‘Love comes in spurts’ and try as I may, I cannot take it any other way than it’s meant to be taken.”

Darcy burst into laughter and Tony grinned. “See, Shortstack finds it funny.”

“Yes, but look at Steve.”

The man in question had gone red with embarrassment and he crossed his arms defiantly when four pairs of eyes turned to him. “That’s inappropriate, Tony,” he said.

Darcy giggled and turned back to look at an amused Pepper Potts. “Hi, I’m Darcy,” she said, offering a trembling hand to Pepper. “Huge fan.”

Pepper took her hand and smiled kindly. “I’ve heard a lot about you, Darcy.”

“You have?”

“Tony has regaled me with tales of a little mouse with long whiskers that scurries around in the labs playing ball with the scientists.”

Darcy’s jaw dropped and she turned to glare at Tony. Schemes of brutal revenge ran through her mind at the sight of his unapologetic smirk. She took consolation in the fact that Pepper still looked amused but she definitely didn’t appreciate Tony comparing her hair to whiskers.

“You’re an ass,” she told him.

Tony laughed and draped an arm over Pepper’s shoulder, steering her away. “Tell me something I don’t know.”

Darcy glared at the back of his head, then turned to Bruce and asked, “Where’s Natasha?”

“Right here.”

The Widow was curled into a crouch on the driveway, one leg splayed out to the side and the tips of her fingers touching the ground, looking for all the world like she had jumped down from the roof of the compound.

Who knows, maybe she had.

“Why are you posing?” mocked Captain Rogers.

Natasha stood up and walked over, taking Darcy’s hand and pulling her towards the national icon. “Steve, this is Darcy. Darcy, this is Steve.”

Steve rolled his eyes. “We’ve met before. You don’t need to introduce us.”

“Good.”

Darcy wasn’t sure if the push was an accident or if it was a deliberate attempt to embarrass her but she suddenly found her face squashed in Captain America’s chest. She stepped away quickly to give Nat a piece of her mind but the redheaded perpetrator had already drifted off to talk to Bruce. Darcy looked up at Steve and grimaced.

“I’m sorry. That was weird.”

Steve shook his head. “Weirder things have happened, trust me.”

Darcy smiled. The man was really good at making people feel at ease. “I don’t doubt it.”

Once the luggage was locked and loaded, and everyone had settled in the minivan, Darcy tried to take a seat beside Nat and Bruce. To her surprise, the redhead pushed her off and ordered her to go sit in the back seat. Assuming Natasha wanted Bruce all to herself, Darcy silently obliged, throwing herself on the back seat beside Steve, who was giving her pitying looks that she didn’t understand. She concentrated on checking out the interior of the vehicle. It was surprisingly clean and devoid of any inappropriate stickers. Tony was at the wheel up front with Pepper riding shotgun. Natasha and Bruce were in the middle seat, and Steve and Darcy sat last. The seats were wide and spacious, even with a giant like Steve sitting beside her.

“Everyone ready for the time of their lives?” Tony called.

There was a chorus of ‘Yes’ and ‘Let’s go already’ and ‘I’m getting bored here’ before Tony started the minivan and they were off.

Despite her initial misgivings regarding this road trip, Darcy could feel the excitement bubbling in her chest. She tried to contain it as best as she could but even the sleepy silence in the van couldn’t bring her down. She leaned forward to wrap her arms around Natasha’s neck from behind and pressed a noisy kiss to her cheek. After all, it was Nat who had convinced her to join in with the ragtag group of Avengers and Pepper Potts.

The redhead grumbled and wiped her cheek with the back of her hand while Tony glanced in the rearview mirror. “Was that Bruce smooching Nat? Shit, I missed it!”

“You wish, Tony,” mumbled Bruce at the same time that Pepper said, “No explicit PDA in the van, please.”

Natasha turned to Bruce with narrowed eyes. “What do you mean ‘you wish’? Are you saying it’s something that’s never going to happen?”

“No.”

“What do you mean no?”

“I mean we’re not talking about this again.”

“Why not?”

“Natasha,” said Bruce in exasperation.

“Why else did you come back, if not for me?”

“He came back for _me_.”

“Shut up, Tony!”

Darcy giggled into her palm as the argument escalated and turned to Steve conspiratorially. “ _Now_ the fun begins.”

He snorted. “You’re evil.”

“Oh no, I can’t take credit for this,” she whispered. “I just kissed her. Tony started the argument.”

“Tony has always been an ass.”

Darcy gasped dramatically. “You said ass.”

“I’ve been known to use appropriate words to describe certain people from time to time.”

She couldn’t help but be amused by his dry tone. This was a whole new side of Captain America she was seeing. Granted, she didn’t know him all that well. But now she knew that he wasn’t all fine, shy and American Pie. Dude had some humor in him. Darcy decided that they would be good friends if Steve allowed it. Who knows, maybe by the end of this road trip, he would come to consider her as one of his own, just like Tony and Nat did.

Said Avengers were still arguing among themselves as Pepper watched on in defeat.

“We all know you’re dragging him on this road trip because you’re afraid he’ll run away again.”

“Yeah, so what?”

“I’m _not_ running away.”

“Right, like we’re ever going to trust you.”

“See? That’s why it can never work between us. You don’t trust me.”

“You tell her, Bruce.”

“Well, you don’t trust me either. You took away my right to choose. You disappeared after Sokovia and made me look for you for months!”

“You tell him, Romanoff.”

Both Bruce and Natasha shouted, “Shut up, Tony!”

“Is this a thing that we do?” Darcy spoke up. “Start a trip with a fight.”

Bruce immediately clamped his mouth shut. “Sorry,” he said in a small voice.

Natasha huffed and fell silent as well. Tony glared at Darcy’s reflection in the rearview. “Thanks for spoiling our only entertainment, Lewis.”

Darcy rolled her eyes and turned to smirk at Steve. “See, I’m not all evil. I can be a pacifier if I want.”

“I can see that.”

Pepper fiddled with the radio as she scolded Tony. “Natasha and Bruce are not here to entertain you. Now everyone sit quietly and listen to some soothing music.”

A Taylor Swift song started playing and Tony groaned loudly. “Aww come on, not this, Pep.”

“I’m not putting on some silly rock metal music for you. It’s a headache.”

“I think everyone should be allowed to choose their own music,” remarked Steve.

“Thank you, Capsicle.”

They started alternating channels. Pepper and, surprisingly, Natasha preferred Taylor Swift, Miley Cyrus and the likes; Steve and Bruce mostly preferred light instrumental music and opera, although Steve did have a soft spot for pop; Tony chose any bands that screamed out the lyrics in gravelly voices; and Darcy was neutral. She could jam to any song, be it pop or country or rock.

“Where are we going first?” she asked Tony.

“Philadelphia.”

Beside her, Steve perked up. “Wonderful! I’ve been wanting to check out the Philadelphia Museum of Art.”

Tony moaned. “Please no museums, Steve. There are so many other places to see in Philly.”

Pepper turned in her seat to shoot Steve a kind smile. “Don’t worry, we’ll go there.”

“No! We’re not going to a museum. This is not a school trip. We’re going to have fun.”

“Are you saying art is boring?”

Steve’s voice held the right amount of hurt to give Tony a pause. Darcy bit back a snort as the billionaire fumbled for a moment before finally conceding, “Of course, it’s not boring. I’d never say that. F.R.I.D.A.Y. set a course for Philadelphia Museum of Art.”

Steve sat back with a smug smile and Natasha turned to grin at him. “Nice,” she mouthed, impressed.

Frank Sinatra started to play and everyone fell silent. Darcy was glad. According to her, you weren’t human if you didn’t enjoy Sinatra. She rested the side of her head against the window and watched the trees zip by. The highway was practically deserted and with the speed at which Tony was going, they would probably reach Philadelphia in two hours time. An hour into their journey, Tony stopped at a food kiosk to buy them all burgers and fries. That was the first time Darcy saw Steve eat. She told him his eating habits scared her. He laughed and stuffed a handful of fries in his mouth.


	4. Natasha Romanoff’s matchmaking schemes

  
**Length:**   17:02  
**Format:**   MP3, Streaming  
**Cover Artist:**   Little_Plebe 

  
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Natasha Romanoff had been to Philadelphia before. She and Clint had decided to take a break after their awful mission in Budapest and had somehow landed in the City of Brotherly Love. It was the nickname that had drawn Clint to Philly; he kept saying that he and Nat were bros, a modern term that Natasha still did not understand. She had been completely drunk for the entirety of the two days that they had spent in the city.

She remembered the tall buildings, the Schuylkill River, the starry sky and, to her drunken self, the city had looked magical. Everything shone brightly, every color was more colorful, every nook and corner seemed quieter and safer compared to the dark, sinister alleys of Budapest.

Now, however, as the minivan cruised past the same landmarks that she and Clint had covered years ago, Natasha realized, with growing disappointment, that the magic of the place was gone. Philadelphia looked like any other city—same roads, same modern architecture, same parks and same people. Perhaps it was the alcohol that had enhanced everything the last time but Natasha was certain that after everything she had been through since becoming a part of the Avengers Initiative, there was nothing that could surprise or excite her.

Except maybe Bruce.

It was mind-boggling how a kind, soft spoken man with a fluffy mop of hair could hurt her, anger her and delight her. If anyone had to guess, Bruce Banner was the last person to break through her defenses and crawl so far inside her subconscious that she was constantly thinking about him, but with his incredible intellect, humbleness and martyr complex, Bruce had managed to do just that.

Natasha watched as he argued with Tony about something, his eyes bright and fingers playing with the spectacles in his hands. They were standing outside the Philadelphia Museum of Art. Steve was practically bouncing with excitement to go in but Tony was still grumbling about museums. He wanted to take Pepper to a place called Rittenhouse Square, where he apparently wanted to buy a house. Tony already had so many residences that Natasha wondered what he accomplished by buying more. He mostly spent his time at the tower and the compound anyway. It was a complete waste of money, not that Natasha cared. He was Tony Stark and he could do whatever he wanted.

It seemed like the argument was finally coming to a conclusion, so Natasha tore her eyes away from Bruce’s fingers and started paying attention to what he was saying.

“Let’s do one thing. You and Pepper go to Rittenhouse. Natasha, Darcy and I will accompany Steve. Once we’re done, we’ll regroup somewhere and—”

“Hey, may I go with Tony and Ms. Potts?” interrupted Darcy.

Natasha shook her head immediately. “No. You’re staying with us.”

“But I wanna go with Tony,” protested Darcy, clinging to Tony’s arm like a child to her father’s.

Tony was enjoying the attention but Natasha growled under her breath and turned to Steve pointedly. “Steve, tell Darcy she needs to stay with us.”

Steve feigned confusion. “It’s up to her, really.”

“Darcy can come with us, if she wishes,” smiled Pepper.

Natasha looked from a smug Steve to a beaming Darcy to a very suspicious Bruce and she felt like slapping herself. She admitted that Darcy had no idea about her genius plan but Steve was deliberately being stubborn and Natasha wondered how much lower on the moral ladder would she have to go before she could successfully match up Steve Rogers with a ‘dame’.

She sighed dramatically and said, “Oh, all right. I guess if Steve doesn’t mind being the third wheel…”

Darcy straightened. “What?”

She shouldn’t do this. Darcy was an easy target. She was just too nice. Luckily for the young and _single_ brunette, Natasha wasn’t nice. They would thank her later anyway.

“Well, I mean Bruce and I… and then Steve,” she feigned a cough, “you know… three is a crowd. But if Steve doesn’t mind…”

On either side of her, both men tensed for entirely different reasons. Steve was easy to read. He was mentally hating and cursing her right now. Bruce was a tough nut and it was difficult to understand what was going on in his mind. She could deal with that later. She was more focused on Darcy, who was looking at Steve, Bruce and Natasha contemplatively. As predicted, she let go of Tony’s arm and came to stand beside Steve with a sunny smile on her face.

“Okay,” she said. “I guess I could keep you company.”

Natasha bit back a smile and ignored the twitch in Steve’s jaw as he said, “Darcy, you don’t have to.”

“I want to. You can tell me all about Monet and Picasso and whoever.”

Steve smiled tightly and thrust his hands in his pant pockets, looking as if he wanted to sock someone in the jaw. Natasha didn’t understand him sometimes. She was doing him a favor. Darcy was a wonderful person—funny, bold, smart and beautiful to boot. She was perfect for Steve. What else did a man want?

Tony was speaking. “Regroup at Reading Terminal Market in… say… two hours?”

Natasha had been to the place before. She approved. “Yes, got it.”

Pepper leaned forward to whisper in her ear. “You’re being evil and sneaky but… I like it. Darcy seems perfect.”

The redheaded Avenger tipped up one corner of her lip in a self-satisfied smile. “I know.”

The group separated. Tony and Pepper took the minivan to Rittenhouse Square and the rest were supposed to go by cab. Their meeting place wasn’t that far from the museum anyway. The quartet stood there for a while, staring up at the climb leading to the entrance of the museum. If Natasha remembered correctly, there were seventy two stone steps before the building. She didn’t mind the exercise and she knew Steve didn’t either. Bruce was strong even if he looked like a huggable teddy bear. That left Darcy, who was staring at the steps in dismay.

“I can’t climb all that,” she whined. “Nat, carry me.”

Natasha scoffed at the melodrama. This was nothing; even a child could climb the ‘Rocky Steps’. “No way in hell. Ask Steve.”

She missed the weird look Darcy shot her as she ran up, taking two steps at a time and reaching the top in less than two minutes without breaking a sweat. A winning smile stretched her face as she turned to look down at her companions. To her surprise, it wasn’t Steve following her, but Bruce. He climbed slowly lest he overexert himself and accidentally hulk out but he was faster than she had thought he would be. It was a big turn on.

“Where’s Steve?” she asked when he reached the top.

“With Darcy,” he replied shortly.

Natasha supposed he had already guessed her master plan judging by the way he was glowering at her but she was so happy her plan was working that she just smiled. Steve being a gentleman would charm Darcy and then Darcy in turn would bewitch Steve with her smartness and they would live happily ever after. Natasha’s work would be done.

When everyone finally made it to the top (Darcy cursing and panting) Steve led the way inside. There were quite a few people visiting that day but no one seemed to pay any attention to the Avengers as they stepped inside. Natasha hadn’t been to a lot of museums in her short life, so she couldn’t help but be impressed by what she saw. Darcy was openly admiring the vast interior and the classic feel it gave off and Bruce, too, was looking around in awe. A little ahead, the entry to the ground floor was lined with various drawings and photographs, and Steve turned to the left to walk through the gallery.

They silently followed Steve’s lead, going where he went. He was mostly silent as he took everything in but sometimes he would speak, telling them what he liked about a certain piece of art or pointing out an important detail that they missed. Darcy walked beside him, ooh-ing and aah-ing at various things and occasionally asking him questions. Natasha’s heart swelled at seeing them together; they were so perfect for each other and she only wished that they would realize it too. She was tired of seeing Steve go through life alone. He needed a partner to loosen him up a bit, to ground him, to make him feel normal and not like the larger than life figure he had to constantly pretend to be.

“What are you playing at?”

Natasha didn’t look at Bruce; instead she pretended she was examining a piece of art that frankly didn’t make sense to her at all. All she saw were geometrical shapes. “What do you mean?”

“Don’t act like you don’t know. I’m talking about Steve and Darcy.”

“What about them?”

“You’re forcing them on each other.”

“I’m doing them a favor.”

“They don’t need your favor,” whispered Bruce, his eyes flickering ahead to where the aforementioned couple was looking at the painting of a dead girl. “They can figure out their love life on their own. They’re not children.”

“No,” replied Natasha firmly, “but they need a push in the right direction.”

“Do they even _like_ each other that way?”

“Not yet.”

“Jesus, Natasha. Why are you doing this?”

She looked at him then, her eyes bright and her lips curving slightly. “Because everyone needs someone in their lives.”

Always one to read between the lines, the implication in her words wasn’t lost on Bruce. He snorted. “We’re not doing this again.” He began walking and Natasha dogged his steps determinedly. _This_ she could handle. She just had to push and push until she broke past all of Bruce’s defenses and planted herself firmly by his side, letting him know that she wasn’t going anywhere and that she wouldn’t let _him_ go anywhere either.

“Why not? You won’t even talk about it.”

“There’s nothing to talk about. I came back because I couldn’t shirk my duties as an Avenger but I’m dangerous and unstable, and I’m not taking you down with me.”

“I’m dangerous and unstable, too.”

Bruce raised his eyebrows and refrained from commenting on that. But when she said she loved him, he couldn’t stop the bark of laughter that escaped him.

“Love is for children,” he echoed her words from long ago, a hint of bitterness in his voice, and Natasha felt like stomping her foot petulantly.

He had got her there. He knew she was lying because it wasn’t easy for her to forfeit her beliefs, her training and her very nature. Her feelings for Bruce went against everything that she had been taught in the Red Room. She wasn’t supposed to have feelings, she wasn’t supposed to connect to anything or anyone emotionally and she wasn’t supposed to fall in love and build a family. Natasha Romanoff was not made for that. She was made to fight, to kill, to avenge.

And yet, here she was, admitting that she had romantic feelings for someone in spite of all odds. She did not love him yet but she was sure she could if he just gave her a chance. It wouldn’t be difficult at all, falling in love with him. The fact that she was (for once) ready to fight for her happiness, to fight for Bruce, told her everything she needed to know about how close she was to truly and completely falling in love with him. She would tell him that but Bruce wasn’t ready to touch on that subject yet.

They didn’t talk much after that but Natasha stubbornly maintained her place beside Bruce. He did not seem to mind her presence. It was when she tried to touch him that he would inhale sharply and jerk away as if he had been electrocuted. She didn’t know if it was a good sign or a bad one but decided she would find out soon enough.

Steve took a lot of time studying the European Art section on the first floor. At one point, he pulled out a drawing pad from his jacket and started sketching. Darcy loitered around for a while before making her way to Bruce and Natasha, who were browsing another gallery.

“Bored?” asked Bruce knowingly.

Darcy sighed. “I wouldn’t be if Steve didn’t stop to scrutinize everything. He looked at that farm painting for fifteen minutes. Fifteen, Bruce!”

Bruce laughed. “He’s an artist, Darcy. What do you expect?”

“Someone should have warned me about that,” said Darcy, glaring at Natasha.

The redhead opened her mouth to retort when something caught her eye and her breath hitched in her throat. She turned slowly, taking a few steps forward to stand before a painting of a ballet class. It was a simple scene where a ballet instructor was observing three girls dancing in front of a mirror. It was a lovely French painting by Degas and there was nothing ominous or unsettling about it. In fact, it didn’t contain anything that should remind Natasha of the Red Room given that it was an almost cozy scene marked by the presence of a mother sitting in a chair reading the newspaper. But Natasha couldn’t take her eyes off the ballet dancers. She stood there, frozen, her feet stuck in place, refusing to move.

She was vaguely aware of Bruce signaling to Darcy and Darcy coming up to stand beside her. All she could focus on was the little girl in the white dress, her arms raised above her head in an elegant pose. A feeling of nausea rose within her as she stared at the painting, unable to tear her gaze away.

“Nat.”

The whisper of her name broke the spell and Natasha blinked. She felt Darcy’s hand on her shoulder.

“I’m okay,” she said quietly. “I’m okay.”

Darcy looked unconvinced and Bruce, conflicted, but neither pressed the matter and Natasha was grateful for that. Bruce checked the time and said, “Two hours are almost up and there’s an entire floor to explore.”

“There’s no way Steve’s gonna want to leave without seeing everything in this building,” uttered Darcy.

They were right. Steve was still in Gallery 152, sketching. They would need at least another hour before they would be able to convince the blonde giant to leave. Natasha sighed.

“Let me call Tony.”


	5. Tony Stark tries to blend in

  
**Length:**   14:50  
**Format:**   MP3, Streaming  
**Cover Artist:**   Little_Plebe 

  
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It was a cold, cloudy day and more people were out that afternoon than there normally were, bundled up in light winter clothes and enjoying their first days without snow. The presence of Tony Stark created quite a buzz on Rittenhouse Square when he was seen out and about with the CEO of Stark Industries, Pepper Potts. Some people pointed and whispered from afar, some pretended their presence didn’t matter to them but most of them came running to greet Tony and to get his autograph. Unlike other Avengers, Iron Man was a public face, recognized everywhere he went, and Tony usually welcomed the attention but he had promised Pepper a vacation and that also meant vacation from being Iron Man.

“Just here to relax, guys,” he told the gaggle of people surrounding him. “Trying to blend in.”

Someone snorted and Tony didn’t blame them. It was hard to blend in if you were Tony Stark. He shrugged and pulled Pepper away from the group. They were watched but thankfully, no one followed them. Pepper was looking at him in surprise, no doubt wondering why he wasn’t giving a speech back there, praising his own self and his countless achievements.

“Don’t look at me like that,” he told her. “I did it for you. I can still go back there and sign that woman’s butt.”

Pepper rolled her eyes. “You signing people’s butt is the least of my worries.”

Tony had a very nice reply to that but he hardly thought Pepper would appreciate his tomfoolery at the moment. He had exhausted her enough in the past couple of hours when they had been circling the area, checking out places they could buy. She had jumped with joy when he had suggested they take some rest in the park before meeting the others.

The park was lovely. Tony had seen lovelier places, more magical than Rittenhouse, but he couldn’t help closing his eyes and breathing deeply as they strolled down the walkway in a leisurely manner. The snow had melted but there were still patches here and there, and the trees were devoid of leaves, some sort of light spheres hanging from their branches. Tony decided that the park probably looked more beautiful at night when the twinkling lights came on.

Pepper tugged on his hand and pointed in the direction of a dramatic sculpture of a lion crushing a serpent. “Let’s sit there.”

“Selfie first,” declared Tony, yanking her against him to press a kiss to her cheek and snapping a clean shot of them on his Starkphone. “Awesome.”

“Tony, people are watching!”

“So?”

“So we maintain our no PDA rule.”

“Why?” He knew why but he liked riling Pepper up.

“It makes me uncomfortable.”

“My kisses make you uncomfortable?”

Pepper smacked his bicep. “Don’t be silly. You know I don’t mean it like that.”

“How do you mean it then?”

Tony grinned when Pepper closed her eyes as if to pray for patience. He took a seat on a nearby bench and tried to pull her into his lap. She gasped and wrestled against his hold, letting out an undignified ‘hah!’ as she disgracefully plopped beside him. A second later, an embarrassed flush crept up her cheeks and she cast a furtive glance around them, checking to see if anyone had witnessed her moment of unladylike behavior. She looked so adorable that Tony debated kissing her in spite of her silly ‘no PDA’ rule.

Before he could act on his desires, his phone rang. Natasha’s name flashed on the screen. “We’ll be another hour,” she said without preamble when he took the call.

“Let me guess, Cap has temporarily made the museum his home and is making things difficult?”

“You bet.”

“How’s Darcy doing?”

There was a pause, and then Natasha said, “Fine.” Which meant the young lab rat was bored out of her mind.

Tony resisted the urge to scoff. He didn’t think the redhead would take kindly to him mocking her or her plan to hitch Steve up with Darcy. Natasha was pretty obvious in her intentions; it was a wonder Darcy hadn’t caught on to her schemes. It was only a matter of time though…

“See you in an hour, Spider—I mean, Widow.”

Natasha swore and Tony hung up mid-curse, happy with himself. “We’ve another hour to unwind before reconvening with the loser half of our group,” he informed Pepper.

“ _You’re_ a loser,” she chided. “What did Nat say?”

“She said she wants the two of us to make out in the park and send her selfies as proof.”

“She did not say that.”

“She totally said that and let me tell you, she was very adamant.”

“Tony.”

“Pepper,” he imitated her exasperated tone.

“Fine, let’s make out.”

Tony’s eyes widened in disbelief. “You’re serious?”

“No,” snapped Pepper. “Idiot.”

“Fine,” he huffed. “Then scooch over. Tony Stark wants to recline.”

She obliged but couldn’t help rolling her eyes in annoyance. “Tony Stark can go f—”

“Ah, ah, ah, language, Ms. Potts. What will Captain America say?” He stretched out on the bench and sunk his head into Pepper’s lap, sighing contently. She sulked for a while before her fingers found their way into his hair, stroking gently, and it felt so nice, so normal that Tony wondered if they had made a mistake coming to a public place. “You know, we could book a room.”

She looked down at him with a raised brow. “For an hour?”

“We could do a lot in an hour,” said Tony suggestively. Pepper scowled disapprovingly and shook her head but he didn’t miss the way her breath hitched and her fingers flexed in his hair, signs that clearly indicated he was getting to her, that he affected her as much as she affected him.

He didn’t press her and neither did he say much after that. They were silent for a long time as Tony unsuccessfully tried to nap and Pepper feasted her eyes on the wonderful landscape. She was wearing a thick red sweater and a gray beanie, a combination that somehow made her look younger than she was. Cold weather agreed with Tony more than it did with her. Tony was merely wearing a thin half-sleeved t-shirt and dark jeans. He regretted leaving his jacket in the minivan. He could have given it to her, not because she was freezing to death (she wasn’t, not by a long shot) but because giving her his jacket would have made a nice gesture. She didn’t look like she needed more warmth though. It was cold but not that cold that one would need three layers of clothing. Pepper was already wearing two.

Tony fingered the hem of her sweater as he contemplated questions that would get a rise out of her. “Hey, Pep,” he said experimentally. “What if I told you I was bisexual?”

“I wouldn’t be surprised,” she said without missing a beat.

“Okay, but what if I told you I fathered a secret child with a woman of my past?” he attempted.

“Again, I wouldn’t be surprised.”

Shit, he had trained her well. “What was on your mind the last time we had sex?”

She blushed and huffed out a laugh. “The impending road trip.”

“You were worried about strippers joining us on the trip?”

“Not exactly. That’s not the least of my worries where you’re involved.”

Huh. Made sense. Tony tried again. “Would you like it if I called you cupcake, cookie, sweetheart or honey pie?”

She blinked in confusion. “Huh?”

“What about snookums?”

Pepper narrowed her eyes suspiciously. Aha, jackpot!

“What is this?” she demanded. “Why are you asking me all these silly questions?”

“I was trying to get to know you better,” Tony said immediately. “Knowing answers to these questions is important to build a strong relationship.”

It was bullshit and Pepper knew it. “You’re trying to bait me, aren’t you? Ask me stupid questions until I get annoyed and start lecturing you?”

Tony grinned. “You look hot when you’re angry.”

“Do I? Well, that’s ironic because now I’m going to give you the _cold_ shoulder.”

She fisted a handful of his hair and tugged, which told Tony that she wasn’t being serious. That’s one reason why she failed at giving him the cold shoulder. Another could be that Tony continued asking her questions and she used deadpan humor to answer them all until the questions started getting more and more outrageous as the list progressed and Pepper lost her sarcasm, looking downright entertained.

At one point, he even managed to get a laugh out of her. He had already forgotten his little quip but it must have been something incredibly funny because Pepper almost bent over laughing. She was nearly unmindful of the eyes watching them as she pressed a fond kiss to his lips and then rested the side of her face against his forehead, her lips brushing his nose and her hair tickling his chin.

“I love you,” Tony heard her whisper after a while.

The arc reactor in his chest flickered as his heart skipped several beats and a rush of warmth spread through him at her declaration. It was his body’s usual reaction whenever Pepper told him that she loved him, which was not as often as he would like it to be. He was rarely ever able to say it back—she already knew he was hot n’ heavy for her—because it was a mystery how a woman like her had fallen for him. Pepper was amazing and Tony was… he was pretty amazing as well, but Pepper was too sophisticated and put together to be with someone like Tony Stark. Tony was stubborn, nosy and all over the place. Not a good combination… for other people, mind you. Tony liked himself just fine.

He brought his hand to squeeze her arm that was wound around his neck and decided not to mention the flash he saw from the corner of his eye. Pep would freak. His phone buzzed in his pocket and he pulled it out to see a message from Natasha. _Leaving the gallery. Rendezvous in 15_.

Pepper straightened. “Time to go?” She sounded sad.

Tony sat up reluctantly, missing her delicious warmth. “Yeah.”

They quickly made their way out of the park but not before Tony had snapped at least two silly selfies much to Pepper’s exasperation. The minivan was parked some distance away from Rittenhouse Square. A group of teenage boys stood surrounding it.

“Look at that,” one of the boys pointed at a bumper sticker and laughed. “What would Scooby do?”

“Kids, kids,” Tony said, approaching them. “Stay away from the vehicle. It’s… um… high voltage.”

“Woah, you’re Iron Man!”

“Yeah, I get that a lot.”

“This is so cool. Hey, are you really recruiting minions for your army of the undead?”

Tony glanced at the sticker the young boy was referring to and shook his head. “Nah, all positions have been filled. Now shoo. My lady and I have to return to our secret cave of the undead.”

Their secret cave, or in this case, Reading Terminal Market was a treat for the senses. There were people everywhere and all kinds of foods one can imagine. The scent of everything was overwhelming and Tony began to drool the moment he caught sight of a counter full of pastries and other desserts. It was warmer in there and Pepper yanked off her beanie from her head. They shared a cheesesteak sandwich while they waited for the others to arrive.

“Tony!” He turned at Darcy’s enthusiastic yell and waved them over.

Steve looked morose. “Can we stay in Philadelphia for another day?”

Natasha looked pleadingly at Tony. “Please tell me we’re not staying.”

Tony raised a questioning brow at Bruce, who rolled his eyes. “Steve wants more time at the art museum.”

Tony turned to Steve. “Buck up, Capsicle. We’re going to Baltimore next. There are museums there as well, just so you know.” Cap brightened a bit and Tony shook his head in amusement. “Let’s go. I’m pretty sure there’s a shawarma place here somewhere.”

“Can’t we have something other than shawarma for once?” complained Darcy, following Tony and Pepper through the vast market.

“No.”

“Why not?”

“Because daddy says so.”

“Eww Tony, you’re nobody’s daddy!”

“I don’t feel like shawarma either,” said Bruce.

“Me neither,” said Natasha. “I want Italian.”

Tony huffed. “You guys suck.”

There was a lot to see and eat, and everyone got confused. Even the master tactician himself couldn’t decide what he wanted to have. Eventually they got tired of walking around and at Pepper’s command, they stopped at the next place that looked interesting. It was a German stand called Wursthaus Schmitz and the group ended up having sausages and schnitzel sandwiches there.

Helen Cho called halfway through the meal. Tony noted with interest how Steve’s cheeks tinged pink when he saw who was calling him.

“Hey, Helen,” he smiled into the phone. “Yeah, we’ve left New York, on our way to Baltimore now… how’s Bucky doing? … umm, I don’t understand… really? Great, that’s great… Tell Buck we’ll be there in a few days. Be careful, Helen.”

“Is something wrong?” Pepper asked after Steve hung up.

“No, no. Helen’s figured out what’s wrong with his arm. Said she’ll be able to fix it in a couple of days.”

“That’s good news.”

“Yeah. I was worried that he’ll hurt her but Helen doesn’t seem afraid of him at all.” Steve looked at Natasha dubiously. “It’s been eight months. You think he’s remembered everything?”

Natasha shrugged. “Maybe. I talked to Helen before we left New York. She said Barnes is not hostile. In fact, she said he was more guilty and bitter than anything.”

“Well, let’s hope he agrees to come home with us,” said Tony. “We could use another super soldier on the team.”

Darcy snorted. “You have the Hulk. You don’t need anyone else.”


	6. Bucky Barnes has a mission

  
**Length:**   15:08  
**Format:**   MP3, Streaming  
**Cover Artist:**   Little_Plebe 

  
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“Why won’t you sleep on the couch?”

Bucky Barnes looked up from his place on the floor and saw Dr. Cho standing in the doorway to her bedroom, arms crossed over her night robe and her expression curious.

Bucky sat up, noting with interest the dent his head had made on the soft pillow. He didn’t look at Cho when he answered. “Force of habit. The asset wasn’t allowed the luxury of many things and comfort was one of them.”

Forget a bed, he hadn’t slept on anything remotely soft in the past 70 years that he was under HYDRA’s control. His training had been of the most brutal kind. First they had obliterated his memories, then his desire for things like good food and a comfortable environment, and then his base needs of love, touch and family. They had destroyed his humanity, his emotions and had turned him into a mindless killer with no understanding of anything except the best way to execute a mission successfully and within the specified deadline.

During ongoing missions, the safe houses he had been assigned were one roomed, scarcely furnished—one wooden chair, one table, a weapons safe and a small food reserve—and they housed a small bathroom that could barely accommodate him. Once a mission was completed, they would put him into the cryo chamber and he would sleep for the next few years until the time they needed him for another mission. So, no, he wasn’t used to beds and couches and cushions. He preferred the cold concrete floor of Dr. Cho’s apartment because that’s what he was used to and anything else that was even slightly soft seemed uncomfortable to him.

“I’m sorry,” said Dr. Cho, her tone laced with sadness and pity.

It caught Bucky off-guard, her apology and her treatment of him. He hadn’t been a recipient of compassion for the past few decades. He could handle her being unafraid of him, he could handle her kindness but he couldn’t bear the pity that she so obviously felt for him. It unsettled him but more than that, it embittered him.

“Don’t be,” he said curtly.

He stretched out on the floor again, the cream colored pillow the only thing that he would allow Cho to force on him. He draped his flesh arm over his eyes and pretended she wasn’t standing there staring at him.

“Steve says he’ll be here in a few days.”

His heart stuttered at the mention of his former best friend but he otherwise remained still. “I know. I heard you speaking to him earlier today.”

“He misses you.”

Bucky didn’t reply. After a few seconds of silence, he heard the door to her bedroom click shut and he felt himself relax. He knew the good doctor was trying to prepare him for Steve’s arrival, soften him up a bit towards the suicidal idiot but Bucky didn’t need it. If he wasn’t already aware of his deep seated affection for the punk, he wouldn’t have let Cho call him in the first place. Hell, even the asset had felt the connection—flickering and inexplicable but there—that had compelled him to haul the Captain’s ass out of the Potomac eight months ago.

That still didn’t mean that Bucky was ready to see him. The Winter Soldier had done things—terrible things—and there wasn’t any way he could atone for any of those sins, but the one thing that was certain was that he would never be able to stand before his childhood friend and look him in the eye. Because Steve Rogers was Captain America, a good and righteous human being, while James Barnes was damaged, flawed and would always carry with him the shadow of the Soldier and the crimes he had committed.

He hadn’t told this to Dr. Cho. Bucky wasn’t much of a talker. But Cho was smart and she had probably guessed his inner turmoil. Maybe that’s why she never mentioned the asset and maybe that’s why she didn’t try to apologize to him again.

“They’re in Baltimore today,” she told him the next day, her nimble fingers trying to install and weld a new plate in his arm. “If I know Tony Stark at all, he’s planned to tire them out today. I initially wondered why he hadn’t flown in to check your arm for himself—he’s the engineer, not me—but then I realized that maybe he’s worried about Steve… and Bruce, who has just returned… and he also wants Pepper to take a break. She’s always working, you know.”

She was babbling but Bucky didn’t mind. He liked these glimpses of Steve’s life and friends that she kept throwing at him. It was nice to know that the little guy from Brooklyn had finally managed to build a life that he deserved with people that looked out for him. It was a ray of hope for a defeated and guilt-ridden man such as Bucky Barnes.

“Barnes?”

He realized Cho had asked him a question. “Yes, doctor?”

“I could develop fake skin to cover your arm. Do you want that?”

He didn’t even have to consider it. “No,” he said firmly. “The prosthetic limb is a part of me. I won’t hide it.” He knew he had asked for a new arm when he had first met Dr. Cho but that was a different deal altogether. This, it felt like cheating, as if he was hiding who he was by wearing fake skin. He already had so many secrets—secrets that he was ashamed of—he didn’t want to add one more to the list. If he was perfectly honest, he liked his metal arm. It had gotten him out of tough scrapes before. So if he couldn’t have a flesh arm, then he wouldn’t cover the bionic one either.

Dr. Cho continued tinkering with his arm. He decided he had been right in coming to her. She had looked completely lost at first, not knowing what to do or where to start. He had to help her find the hatch to open the compartment on his bicep. But once she had gotten a good look inside, there was no stopping her. She had identified and removed the HYDRA tracker secured to the inside of the arm plates—which was a boon because in the past eight months, he had had to endure at least a dozen HYDRA attacks carried out to overpower him and bring him in—she had found the fault in the wiring that she had repaired and now she was working on the damaged outer plates of his arm.

He hadn’t told her how he had damaged the arm blowing up another HYDRA base not too far from Cleveland but he was pretty sure she had already figured it out. There were still a few more bunkers to destroy, at least three that he knew of. Two in the country and one in Canada but he didn’t know the exact locations. Guess he would just have to wait for them to find and attack him again so that he could follow them back to their base, a trick he had started employing after the fourth attack following the fall of S.H.I.E.L.D. and after realizing that there was no point questioning the goons who had cyanide pills to protect them from such situations.

He didn’t have to wait too long for an ambush.

It was almost midnight by the time Dr. Cho finished with his arm. He willed the limb to move, flexed his fingers and executed a few air-punches to check the arm’s strength and speed. He was relieved to note that it worked perfectly, perhaps even better than before.

“Thank you,” he said roughly.

Cho just smiled, looking rather pleased with herself.

They were making their way home from the lab when three figures started shadowing them. The figures were quiet and commendably stealthy but the Winter Soldier’s superior senses were alerted the moment they stepped behind the duo. Bucky smoothly changed the route, ignoring Cho’s questioning look, and leading the goons into a side alley.

“Barnes, what—”

Bucky looked at her and flicked his eyes behind them. She stiffened, seeming to understand what he was trying to silently convey.

Three more goons on wires jumped down in front of them, blocking their path. Bucky and Cho stopped walking, spinning on the spot with their backs to each other, assessing their escape options. There were none. The men weren’t carrying guns, they were carrying high voltage HYDRA-created stun batons and knives but Bucky wasn’t fooled. They would pull out the Russian Silent Ammunition later; it didn’t make sense but it was their style.

When four more HYDRA agents dropped down, Bucky whispered to Cho, “When I say go, duck and crawl behind that trashcan in the corner. Got it?”

“Got it,” she said.

For a few seconds, nothing happened and time seemed to stand still. Then, one of the agents made a sudden movement towards them and Bucky yelled, “Go!”

He did not see her scamper; he was too busy blocking the first stun attack and after that, everyone seemed to jump on him at once. He was outnumbered but it didn’t matter, he had fought against worse. He blocked a punch to his face, grabbed the agent’s arm and flung him around, sending him crashing into his companions behind him. If he could see himself from Dr. Cho’s eyes, he would know how fast he was going, punching and kicking his way through the circle of agents, leaping into the air and doing impressive flips to dodge batons and bullets, using his metal arm to accomplish feats that Helen Cho had never seen any human ever do before.

It wasn’t long before the dark alley was littered with bodies. Most of them were dead but he had left a couple of them alive so that he could get information about their base of operations. Bucky looked around at the fallen HYDRA thugs and then raised his eyes to Helen Cho who was still cowering behind the trashcan. He began to walk towards her when he felt a sting in his right shoulder. He had been shot. His fingers made quick work of getting the lodged bullet out of his flesh and he threw the offending metal to the ground with an irritated grunt.

Reaching Dr. Cho, Bucky held out his hand to her. “It’s over, ma’am—”

“Look out,” she screamed.

He barely had time to turn around before he felt a blow to the back of his head. He stumbled a little with the force of the blow and by the time he turned with a loud snarl on his lips, his attacker had taken Cho as hostage and was pointing a gun to her head. Bucky resisted rolling his eyes. It was the oldest trick in the book. When would these people learn that it would never work on him? Within the blink of an eye, Bucky had grabbed the lid of the trashcan and flung it at the attacker’s head, neutralizing him instantly.

Dr. Cho gasped and fell to the floor along with the unconscious goon who was still holding on to her. Bucky bent down to punch his face out of anger and spite and then turned his gaze on the doctor, who was trying and failing to sit up.

“All right?” Bucky asked her. She nodded dazedly. “Are you hurt?”

She had difficulty speaking. “I… I… think that…” Her voice trailed away as her eyes rolled to the back of her head and she fainted.

Bucky assessed his options. Everyone was down. If he was lucky, they would still be there when he came back. Making up his mind, he quickly lifted Helen Cho in his arms and set off into an unbelievably fast sprint towards her apartment. It wasn’t that far, just a ten minute walk from the lab and since Bucky was running, they reached in less than three minutes. He pulled out the keys from the pocket of her overcoat where he had earlier seen her tuck them and opened the door, walking straight into Cho’s bedroom and gently depositing her on the bed.

He dug around in her stationery drawer until he found a paper and pen and began scribbling a brief note to the doctor. _Going after the men who attacked us. Tell the Captain I’m sorry I didn’t wait for him_.

As an afterthought, he wrote _Take care_ at the bottom of the note. The little piece of paper was perched on Cho’s bedside table where it would be easier for her to see it when she woke up. Bucky took one last look at her and then he was off, back to the alley, back to the people who wanted to capture him and brainwash him again.

The bodies were still there. He counted ten and closed his eyes in relief. Once Bucky infiltrated a HYDRA base, he never knew if he would make out of it alive or even intact. He wasn’t afraid but HYDRA had overpowered him before and they could do it again. He didn’t want to overestimate his abilities. After all, it was HYDRA that had given him these superhuman abilities.

This time as well, he didn’t know if he would come back and he silently prayed that Steve Rogers wouldn’t look for him. If HYDRA got their hands on Bucky, all the excellent progress he had made in the past eight months would be for nothing. He would forget everything in the blink of an eye and become the asset again. It would be torture for Steve. And that’s something that no human wanted or needed—a tortured and depressed Captain America.

As he settled himself to wait behind the same trashcan Dr. Cho had hidden behind earlier, Bucky thought back to his last face off with the Captain.

_I’m not gonna fight you. You’re my friend._

_You’re my mission._

_Then finish it. ‘Cause I’m with you till the end of the line._

There was no chance in hell that the punk would ever stop looking for him.


	7. Steve Rogers plays a mean prank

  
**Length:**   19:27  
**Format:**   MP3, Streaming  
**Cover Artist:**   Little_Plebe 

  
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Steve Rogers groaned as the radio channel switched yet again, this time to a peppy Miley Cyrus song that was sure to give him a headache for the rest of the day. Natasha was at the wheel and Tony sat beside her, constantly refuting her music choices with his own horrendous ones. The channels switched at a speed that made Steve’s head spin and made Pepper utter a string of colorful words that mostly went unheard by the two Avengers in the front seats.

Steve looked at the sleeping brunette beside him and wondered how Darcy could sleep through all that noise. She was slumped into his side in a rather uncomfortable position with her cheek pressed to his bicep and dark hair covering half her face. Natasha looked extremely pleased at the sight but Bruce kept turning back to throw Darcy worried glances.

“Still sleeping?” At Steve’s nod, Bruce said, “We need to get some food in her system. Her skin isn’t hot, is it?”

The rest of Bruce’s voice was drowned in a furious scream of “Will you two stop messing around with the radio?!”

“No can do, Pep. The Arachnid needs to understand that this is _my_ vehicle!”

Ignoring Natasha’s cutting remark at being called an arachnid, Steve gently placed a hand on Darcy’s forehead and shook his head at Bruce, who stifled a yawn himself and turned back to rest his head against the window. Steve was tired as well but he didn’t need much sleep to function properly, unlike his companions, who had stayed up till two in the morning, drinking.

The last two nights had passed by in a blur. They had reached Baltimore at night the day before yesterday and checked into a five star hotel that Tony had pre-booked. Darcy complained that the luxury hotel diluted the excitement of the road trip.

“This is not how road trips go! We’re supposed to stay in a road side motel or a cozy little bed and breakfast, make friends with the locals and—”

“And find love at Christmas?” snorted Tony. “This isn’t a Hallmark movie, Lewis, and we’re certainly not staying in a dingy motel. Tony Stark always travels in style.”

He had booked suites for them. Darcy and Steve got separate suites but, to Bruce’s chagrin, he and Natasha were to share.

“I’ll stay with Steve,” Bruce said the moment he found out what Tony had done.

“Come on, Bruce, what’s it going to take? I should tell you, spiders are skilled lovers.”

Natasha stepped on Tony’s foot, making him howl. She turned and spoke firmly to a furious Bruce. “I’m sorry but I’m not letting you out of my sight.”

“Jesus, how many times do I have to tell you? I’m not going anywhere!”

“Yes but I’m still not letting you out of my sight.”

Bruce threw his hands up in exasperation and Steve felt sorry for him. The scientist really had no choice as Natasha wrapped unyielding fingers around his wrist and practically dragged him to their suite.

The next morning, Bruce still wasn’t speaking to Natasha and Tony. He sat through the buffet breakfast stiffly, not saying a word to anyone except Pepper, who was bold enough to wish him a good morning. Darcy tried to draw him into their conversation but every time Natasha opened her mouth to speak or offer her opinion about something, Bruce would grunt and go back to stabbing his pancakes. If Steve was honest with himself, he found the entire ordeal funny and perversely romantic but he wisely kept his mouth shut for the sake of Bruce’s sanity.

Tony eventually managed to pull Bruce out of his funk by suggesting a visit to the Maryland Science Center, where they got V.I.P. treatment because of Tony Stark. It cheered Bruce up considerably but he remained angry with Natasha for the rest of the day. To Steve’s amusement, the redhead had started employing new tricks. She walked close to Bruce, grabbed his hand at random intervals, snuck an arm around his waist when he was busy checking out a scientific display, and it was so unlike her that Steve couldn’t decide what was funnier – Natasha’s courting habits or Bruce constantly pushing her away from him.

They spent an exhausting five hours in the Maryland Science Center and Tony seemed to think it was enough punishment for Steve who had dominated precious time in the Philadelphia Art Museum. The billionaire didn’t know that Steve had enjoyed the science center just as much.

After a late lunch at their hotel, Bruce followed Steve into his suite for a short nap on the pretext of having an important conversation. Natasha wasn’t fooled. She followed as well.

“Do you mind? Steve and I are in the middle of something.”

“Looks to me like you’re preparing to nap.”

Bruce opened his mouth to retaliate but Steve tried to intervene. “Nat, come on…”

“Fine, I’ll take the armchair. You men can take the bed.”

“No,” said Bruce, ever the gentleman.

Natasha rolled her eyes. “All right, then. You take the armchair and I’ll nap on the bed with Steve.”

Bruce jumped up, his eyes flashing green. “No,” he repeated. “Let’s just go back to our damned room.”

Natasha threw Steve a smirk as she followed Bruce out of the door. He heard her bump into someone outside. “Oh hey, Darcy. Steve’s looking for you.”

Steve dropped his head in his hands and let out a muffled groan. _Bloody Natasha and her stupid matchmaking_. It wasn’t that he didn’t like Darcy; it was just that he had his eyes set on someone else. Darcy walked in a minute later and raised her eyebrows at him. “Dude, why’s your door open?”

“Natasha and Bruce had a tiff.”

Darcy laughed. “Tell me something new.” She threw herself onto his bed like they had been friends forever and looked up at him expectantly. “Nat said you were looking for me.”

“Ummm.” Maybe it was time to come clean with her. She deserved to know, being as much a part of Nat’s foolish plan as he was. “Okay, so, here’s the thing…”

Steve spent the next twenty minutes explaining to her Natasha’s fixation on getting him a girlfriend, when it had started, how it had started and why the redhead thought Darcy would be the one for him.

“Well, I _am_ pretty awesome,” the brunette said imperiously.

Steve agreed. She was great but she wasn’t for him and, thankfully, Darcy shared his opinion. “I mean you’re smart and good to look at but there’s no… there’s no… you know?”

“I know.” Even though she couldn’t translate her thoughts into words, Steve understood what she meant. Women called it _the spark_ and he didn’t know what men called it but whatever that feeling was, it didn’t exist between Steve and Darcy. In fact, he was just starting to recognize her as his friend and friendship with Darcy was fun—she was kind, intelligent and carefree albeit a bit clingy and touchy-feely, but she was like that with everyone. She liked to kiss and hug people. Steve supposed it was a good trait.

Sometime later, when Tony knocked on all their doors, demanding they get their asses down to the lobby in half an hour, Steve and Darcy had a plan of action ready to go – shoot Natasha with her own bullet. It was a bad analogy but Darcy liked it, so Steve humored her. They stepped into the lobby arm in arm.

“This is a nice surprise,” Nat whispered to him the moment Darcy left his side to go talk with Tony and Bruce.

“Are you two together now?” asked Pepper.

Steve looked at their hopeful faces and decided that he would enjoy bringing them down. “Well, not yet but…” He trailed away meaningfully.

“Told you so,” intoned Natasha with the air of someone who was always right.

“What happened?” Pepper wanted to know.

“Nothing much. We sat and talked. We talked about a lot of things,” he paused to look at Nat, “We also talked about you and Bruce… Darcy likes to talk about Bruce. She thinks he’s brilliant.” A slight furrow appeared between Natasha’s eyebrows but it disappeared the moment Steve said, “It was fun.”

“Good, good,” Natasha said absently, her eyes flickering to the curvy brunette who was currently clinging to Bruce.

“You’re laying it on too thick,” Steve hissed when everyone had settled in the minivan. “I thought we were going to take it slow.”

“I’m sorry,” giggled Darcy. “It’s just so entertaining to rile Nat up. Also, Bruce looks amused every time I hold his arm.”

“You think he guessed our plan?”

“Who cares? He’s on our side either way.”

According to Tony’s itinerary, their next visit was to the Chesapeake Shakespeare Company. He had booked tickets for a show of The Three Musketeers and Steve was surprised to find himself excited about something Tony Stark had planned. The next two hours seemed to fly by as the group lost themselves in Dumas’ world, ensnared by the classic story and the wonderful performances of the actors.

The show was phenomenal and Steve stood up to applaud with the rest of the audience. He walked out with a heavy feeling in his chest. He hadn’t seen anything so beautiful and touching in a long time and felt sad that it was over so soon. Bruce and Pepper looked rather charmed as well. Tony and Darcy were looking at the merchandise, Darcy taking a fake sword and pointing it at Natasha dramatically.

“Here, Cap, this is for you.” Tony swooped in holding a cavalier hat topped with a dozen feathers and planted the hat on Steve’s head. “Awww, Darcy, look at D’Artagnon.”

Darcy came up to tip the hat properly on his head and grinned. “Looks good on you.”

“He’s incomplete without a sword,” said Pepper, who was apparently enjoying herself at Steve’s expense.

Tony grabbed a fake sword and threw it at Steve, who caught it with a roll of his eyes. “Seriously?”

“Say cheese,” replied Tony, clicking a picture on his Starkphone. Nat snuck in a photo as well.

“Sending it to Sam,” she smirked.

“Sending it to Clint,” announced Tony.

“Send yourselves to hell,” mumbled Steve, tossing the sword to a laughing Darcy, who put it back in its place. She wouldn’t let him give up the hat though.

“Keep it. It suits you.”

“People will love it where we’re going next.”

“And where are we going next, Tony?” asked Steve.

Tony just smiled mysteriously. Exchanging a wary look with Bruce, Steve followed the billionaire out of the theater, subtly chucking the hat back on the merchandise stand. They assembled into the minivan and Tony drove across town, stopping just outside a dark and dingy side alley that was lined with adults and youngsters alike.

“Uh, Tony,” began Bruce, eyeing the crowd uncertainly. “Where are we?”

“Get out of the van, Brucie, and I’ll tell you.”

Steve had already guessed where Tony had brought them, judging by the faint _whomp-whomp_ sound he could hear from inside the building. There was a buzz, an excitement in the air that he had never seen or felt anywhere before.

“The best nightclub in Baltimore, ladies and gentleman!”

Nightclub. _Oh God_. Steve turned around to go back but Darcy caught his hand. “Come on, Stevie. Not afraid, are you?”

Steve looked at Bruce, who looked ready to puke; at Natasha, who was grinning like the Cheshire cat; at Pepper, who was pretending to disapprove but couldn’t keep a straight face; at Darcy, who was practically bouncing on her feet; and at Tony, who was already cutting ahead of the line to speak to the bouncer at the door. Steve looked back at Darcy and said simply, “Yes.” He had never been to a nightclub before and he cursed Tony for doing this to him.

Darcy laughed. “Come on, it’ll be fun.” And with the help of Natasha and Pepper, the three women dragged Steve and Bruce inside after Tony.

It was dark inside. Steve could see flashing lights in the distance. The sound of base was louder here. They reached a set of double doors and Tony turned to grin at them all before pushing the doors open. A blast of sound assaulted Steve’s eardrums and his eyes widened at the sight before him.

“Good lord,” Bruce muttered from beside him.

“Frikking awesome!” screamed Darcy, throwing herself into the crowd and disappearing within a second.

“Shit!” said Natasha, following after her.

“Hey, wait for us.” Tony was next to get swallowed by the crowd of crazy dancing people.

Pepper looked sympathetically at the two men standing behind her who looked like they would give anything to be anywhere else right now. She held both her hands out to them. “Hold on to me,” she said confidently.

Steve hesitated but obeyed. Bruce followed suit and Pepper carefully led them inside, not relinquishing her hold on them even for once. Steve tried to ignore the sweaty bodies grinding against him as the trio squeezed through the crowd but it was impossible not to feel strained or disgusted, especially with Bruce making quiet choking noises beside him. Steve briefly wondered if this was enough stress for the Other Guy to come out and play. He certainly hoped not.

Pepper led them to a seating area directly in front of the bar and instructed them to sit there and not move.

“Where are you going?” Steve asked.

“Tony’s over there.” She pointed towards the bar where Steve could see Tony speaking to the bartender.

Pepper left them and Steve swept his eyes over the mass of dancing people in the club. It was packed to the brim and the loud music was making his head hurt. Everyone seemed happy to be there. Steve and Bruce were probably the only serious people on the premises. He nudged Bruce when he saw Natasha and Darcy on the dance floor, bouncing along with the music. Steve had never seen the Black Widow move like that, with complete abandon and mindless of what people might think about her. In that moment, she wasn’t a deadly assassin or an Avenger. She was just a normal woman having fun with her friend.

Bruce’s jaw went slack when he saw her. He stared at her openly until Tony slammed a bottle of tequila and six shot glasses on the table before them.

“Who wants to get wasted?”

Even though Steve couldn’t get drunk, everything was a blur from that point on. Natasha and Darcy came over to down a couple of shots before going back to the dance floor. Pepper and Bruce drank to calm themselves down a bit; a slight buzz would help them get through the night. Tony shot down an entire bottle and was still sitting up straight. Everyone relaxed after a few shots. Steve was beginning to get used to the loud music and the flashing lights.

“This isn’t so bad,” he found himself telling Bruce, who smiled blithely and nodded.

The bartender kept bringing them bottle after bottle and Tony kept pouring shots for them all. After a while, Natasha returned to sit with them, Darcy stumbling in her wake.

“I think,” she hiccupped into Bruce’s ear, “that you’re very attractive.”

“Thanks, Darcy.”

Darcy turned glassy eyes to Steve. “You’re attractive, too. Don’t feel bad.” She seemed to sway as she spoke, like she was still dancing, like she couldn’t stop herself from moving to the beats.

“I won’t,” Steve mumbled drily.

Darcy turned to Natasha next, spouting the same attractive remark, and then to Pepper, who, to her embarrassment, received a slew of synonyms including but not limited to beautiful, glorious and sexy. Apparently, everyone could hold their liquor except Darcy who had downed the least shots and danced the most. At one point, she draped herself over Tony and asked him if maybe he wanted to adopt her.

The billionaire looked surprised at the bold question but a grin soon found its way on his face. He bent his head to whisper in Darcy’s ear and if Steve didn’t have enhanced hearing, he wouldn’t have been able to hear him.

“Only if you convince Pepper to marry me.”

“Deal.”

And then she had passed out. As per Natasha’s orders, Steve had to carry her to her hotel room and tuck her in. The next morning, she woke up with a terrible hangover and a nasty case of bed hair, and now there she was, asleep again, slumped against Steve’s side as Tony and Natasha fought over the radio in the background.

A thoroughly inappropriate Rihanna song started playing and apparently it was a song that they both liked because the channel didn’t switch and Steve had to endure the entire song with growing discomfort. His cheeks were bright red by the time the song got over.

Darcy woke up when they stopped for breakfast at a roadside pizza joint. “Pizza,” she exclaimed, pouncing on the menu and ordering a large just for herself. She started feeling better after the third piece and Steve refrained from pointing out that she still looked like shit.

“How’s it going between you two?” Natasha whispered to him.

“She doesn’t like me that way,” Steve replied, pretending to be sad about it.

“She told you that?”

“Uh-huh. Last night when I was tucking her in.”

“What did she say?”

Steve looked away. “I can’t tell you.”

Natasha put down her pizza and gave him a stern look. “Steve.” When he still refused to answer, she flicked his ear. “Does she like someone else?” Steve nodded. “Who?”

“I can’t tell you.” He managed to sound reasonably depressed and contrite.

“Do I know the guy?”

Steve nodded. He could see that the suspense was killing her and she looked about ready to pummel him into answering. He felt bad for enjoying the conversation so much.

“Who’s the guy, Steve? Just tell me already.”

“ _All right_. I’ll tell you.” Steve paused for effect. “It’s Bruce. She likes Bruce.”

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Can anyone guess which Rihanna song they're listening to? I've only ever heard a handful of Rihanna's songs, so I don't know how easy or tough the guess would be... but it's still fun to try, right? :)


	8. Bruce Banner can tell a joke

  
**Length:**   17:07  
**Format:**   MP3, Streaming  
**Cover Artist:**   Little_Plebe 

  
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“A dyslexic man walks into a bra…”

Bruce Banner smirked proudly when Tony and Darcy turned to look at him in surprise. The duo had been going on and on throwing silly one-liners at each other and Bruce was getting tired of merely standing by their side, listening silently and snorting once in a while. He remembered one he had heard a long time ago and blurted it out before he could stop himself.

Darcy looked amused. “That’s impressive, Doc. But not better than… A priest, a rabbi and a vicar walked into a bar. The barman said, ‘is this some kind of a joke?’”

“Meh,” said Tony. “That’s nothing. The other day, I sent Pepper a huge pile of snow. I rang her up and asked, ‘did you get my drift?’”

“My therapist said I’ve a preoccupation with vengeance,” said Bruce gravely. “We’ll see about that.”

Darcy burst out laughing and Tony clapped a hand on Bruce’s shoulder. “We’re a bad influence on you, buddy. I’m so proud of you.”

“Color me delighted,” mumbled Bruce drily.

His restless eyes drifted back to the entrance of the 7-Eleven store, trying to catch a glimpse of Natasha, who, along with Steve and Pepper, was buying sustenance for the five hour trip to Pittsburgh. She hadn’t spoken to him or made a move on him since leaving the pizza place. In fact, she hadn’t said much to anyone at all. Except maybe Tony, who had a divine knack to make anyone explode with words, no matter the circumstances. Bruce was pretty sure Natasha’s strange behavior was a direct result of what Steve had said to her when they were having breakfast.

He had no idea what the two of them had talked about—although he _did_ have a tiny clue—but whatever it was, it had upset Natasha and she had been broody since then. The abrupt change in her demeanor threw Bruce off and he realized that he missed the Natasha who clung to him and dogged his heels trying to convince him into a relationship. He missed the woman who pushed away the pillow wall he carefully built between them at night and then stretched out beside him when she thought he was asleep. He missed the feel of her skin against his when she forced her fingers into his hand. And above all, he missed the challenging spark that was always there in her eyes whenever she looked at him. It told him that she still hadn’t given up on him.

At that moment, the door to the 7-Eleven store opened and the object of Bruce’s thoughts walked out. She carried a bag full of Cheerios and mints in one hand and a raspberry slushie in another. Her eyes flashed briefly when she saw Darcy talking to Bruce but she maintained an otherwise blank face. The Other Guy inside him growled in annoyance, understanding full well the extent of Steve and Darcy’s mean yet justifiably well-deserved plan.

“Where’s my future bride and the father of my Avengers?” asked Tony, referring to Pepper and Steve.

“Director Fury?” Natasha asked innocently, causing Bruce to grin despite himself.

“Ha-ha, Romanoff.”

Darcy, who was tapping her phone urgently, spoke up, “I found another. Survey says it’s the funniest gag ever.” She read from her phone, “A woman gets on a bus with her baby. The bus driver says: Ugh, that’s the ugliest baby I’ve ever seen! The woman walks to the rear of the bus and sits down, fuming. She says to a man next to her: The driver just insulted me! The man says: You go up there and tell him off. Go on, I’ll hold your monkey for you.” Darcy grinned at a cackling Tony. “Top that.”

Bruce laughed. “You cheated, Darcy. You’re not supposed to take help from the internet.”

Darcy shrugged. “’Twas funny. Right, Nat?” Natasha looked ready to punch someone. “Nat, what’s wrong?”

Concerned about Darcy’s safety, Bruce gently gripped her wrist and pulled her to him in case Natasha decided to indulge in violence and hurt the brunette in the process. Apparently, it was the wrong move because the redhead clenched her teeth and a vein in her forehead throbbed. She glared at Bruce’s hand on Darcy’s wrist, the emotion in her eyes baring a hint of the war being waged inside her mind.

“Something’s happening,” Bruce heard Tony whisper to himself excitedly but his words were predictably ignored.

It seemed like Natasha had made up her mind and Bruce was both scared and relieved to see the spark of challenge return in her eyes. She thrust her slushie into Tony’s chest, stepped forward between Bruce and Darcy until he was forced to let go of Darcy’s wrist and wrapped her arm snugly around his waist, all the while keeping her eyes trained on the petite brunette as if daring her to say something against the blatant act of staking claim that Natasha had exhibited.

If it was any other time, Bruce would have rolled his eyes and pushed her away in exasperation but he could see the hope in Darcy’s eyes and knew that Steve’s lie would keep Natasha occupied, resulting in the matchmaking to discontinue at least until the duration of this trip. So, ever the soft-hearted gentleman, Bruce let Natasha snuggle against him and threw a ‘you-owe-me’ glare at Darcy, who seemed to be holding back a triumphant smirk. The sneaky little thing knew that Bruce didn’t mind this situation at all. Well, not Bruce, the Other Guy didn’t mind it. _He_ liked Natasha a lot. Bruce would still take some time to come around.

Tony was looking between the three of them in obvious confusion but before he could open his mouth and ruin the moment any further, Steve and Pepper burst out of the 7-Eleven store sporting grave faces and three bags full of snacks. They ran towards the other four and spoke simultaneously.

“We have a problem,” panted Pepper.

“We gotta go now,” ordered Steve.

“Wha—” said Tony bewildered.

“Now,” insisted Steve.

“Woah, woah, Capsicle. What happened?”

“Helen called,” explained Pepper. “Barnes left.”

“What?” said Tony and Natasha at once.

“They were ambushed last night. HYDRA. Bucky fought them off and then left to go after them while Helen was sleeping.”

The group quickly piled into the minivan, Natasha at the wheel. Bruce settled in beside her and she gave him a small smile. He turned concerned eyes to Steve, who was sitting in the middle seat with Tony, fidgeting anxiously.

“Is Helen all right?”

“Yeah. She was rendered unconscious but is otherwise unharmed. Bucky, though… he got shot.”

Darcy cursed. “And he still went after HYDRA? The idiot.”

Bruce saw fond exasperation flash across Steve’s face. “Buck’s always been that way. He can’t let stuff go. Plus, I’m sure he healed.”

“But we still need to find him,” said Darcy.

“Yeah. Yeah, we do. I’m not letting him walk away this time.”

The minivan sped down the highway under Natasha’s navigation. She was a crazy driver, swerving left and right between other vehicles with commendable skill. There wasn’t much traffic and it got even thinner as the sun rose up in the sky, making it possible for Natasha to really step on the paddle and literally fly down the road with reckless abandon.

Three hours in, Darcy had fallen asleep again and Tony was resentfully grumbling about having to cancel all the elaborate plans he had set up for them in Pittsburgh.

“Damn Barnes and his new found chivalry.”

Steve glared at him. “Watch it.”

“Hey, I paid big money to pre-arrange some of those things,” argued Tony.

“Tony,” said Steve irritably. “You can buy an entire country and not blink an eyelid. It’s not the money, you’re just sad the fun got cut short.”

Bruce turned just in time to see Tony huff childishly and cross his arms across his chest in defiance. “Tony, be nice,” chided Bruce. He let his gaze land on Steve and said gently, “Your friend will come back. He left to avenge seventy years of his life. I’m sure he’ll return.”

“I’m just afraid they’ll recapture him and he’ll forget about me again.”

“That’s not happening,” Natasha spoke up, her eyes finding Steve’s in the rearview mirror. “We’re here for you, Steve. We won’t let anything happen to Barnes. Not again.”

Pepper struck Tony from behind and he nodded immediately. “Yeah, Cap. What she said.” And Bruce was happy to note that even though he was prompted into replying, Tony looked like he meant it. He may begrudge the situation all he wanted but he _was_ worried, just like the rest of them.

They reached Cleveland in the evening. Helen called again to find out their location.

“We’re just half an hour out. Any news from Bucky?” Judging from Steve’s disappointed face, he hadn’t gotten a positive answer. “All right, well, we’ll see you in a bit.”

Natasha drove to the address Helen Cho had given them and the group disembarked in front of a small apartment building with chipped blue paint. The geneticist was waiting for them at her door on the second floor. She greeted the three women with hugs and accepted a kiss on the cheek from Bruce and Tony. Steve fumbled a bit at his turn, the tips of ears going red, before formally shaking Helen Cho’s hand as if they had just closed a business deal. Bruce resisted the urge to roll his eyes at the pathetic display.

“I’m glad you’re back,” Helen whispered to him as she led the group in.

Bruce smiled. “And I’m glad you’re okay. I’m sorry about what happened yesterday.”

Once they had all comfortably settled in a circle on the floor of Helen’s living room, she started talking. She told them about coming to Cleveland and finding out that someone had broken into her lab; she told them about Barnes, how taciturn he was, how bitter, how remorseful, how alone; she explained to Bruce and Tony about the problem in his arm that she had managed to repair; and when she finally reached the part where they were attacked, Darcy and Pepper actually gasped. Everyone was completely engrossed in Helen’s story.

“He fought like it was second nature to him. So fast, so brutal, so agile.” She paused and added jokingly, “Watching him fight was perversely beautiful.”

No one laughed. “What happened then?” whispered Darcy raptly.

“Then one of the men put a gun to my head and I fainted. I guess Barnes carried me here and then went back to the alley. He left me a note saying he was going after them and that he’s sorry he didn’t wait for you.”

“Jesus, Buck,” muttered Steve tiredly. Bruce placed a comforting hand on his shoulder.

“So what now?” Pepper asked.

“We wait,” replied Natasha. “We stay here, right, Steve?”

Steve nodded. “But for how long? What if he doesn’t return?”

“Steve,” said Helen. “He’s coming back.”

Bruce was surprised to hear the conviction in her voice, and perhaps so was Steve, because he didn’t argue and merely nodded gratefully.

“We stay in Cleveland,” he declared in his Captain voice. “If Bucky finds the base and manages to create a stir, there’s bound to be something on the news. We can follow the lead. In the meantime,” he paused to look at Tony and Pepper, “maybe we should book a hotel?”

“I think it’s better if we all stay at Helen’s,” asserted Tony. “Together. In case something happens.”

Helen’s apartment was small; just the one bedroom and the reasonably spacious living room. They could fit in there if they tried but it would be a tight fit. Besides, they didn’t want to impose on Helen, did they? Not that she would mind. Dr. Helen Cho was one of the kindest people Bruce had ever had the pleasure of meeting.

Steve turned to Bruce. “What do you think?”

Bruce considered it and then nodded. Tony was right. They all needed to stick together. Helen didn’t mind sharing her bedroom with three more women. The men bunked outside, alternating between the couch and the concrete floor. It was uncomfortable but they had all lived in worse conditions, even Tony (which was surprising – Bruce would have to get details of that story from Tony later) and in this way, two days passed. Two days of radio silence with no news of Bucky Barnes.

Then on the third day, they were all lounging in front of the television watching some trashy action movie that Darcy giggled at while the Avengers passionately pointed out terrible fighting techniques, flawed explosion scenes and humbug villainous agendas when Tony snatched the remote from Darcy’s hand and changed the channel. Bruce watched dully as a tug of war for the remote control commenced between Tony, Darcy, Natasha and Pepper. The channels were accidentally and not-so-accidentally switched many times during the warfare.

“Go back,” Steve suddenly sat up and ordered. Sensing his urgent tone, Helen plucked the remote from Darcy’s fingers and pressed a button, switching to an international news channel.

They listened to the newswoman speak and stared at a grainy photograph of a burning building somewhere in North Canada. Steve and Natasha exchanged glances. Was this Barnes’ doing? It certainly was his signature. But was there even a HYDRA base in Canada that they knew about? The situation reeked of HYDRA but judging by the puzzled expression on Steve’s face, he wasn’t sure either. He took into stride Tony’s complaints about not having enough information about anything and declared that they needed to leave the same night if they wanted to catch Bucky before he left the area.

Bucky Barnes, though, had other plans for them.

Steve stared bemusedly at the private number on his cell phone screen and pressed the ‘accept call’ button. “Hello?”

His neck snapped up and he excitedly pointed to the phone in his hand. “Bucky? Shit! I mean, it’s… it’s good to… uh, where are you? And how did you get this number?”

Whatever Barnes said, it was enough to make Steve’s eyes go wide. “All right, stay there. I’m on my way.”

“What is it?” inquired Tony earnestly.

“Where is he?” asked Bruce, wanting to know as much as everyone else.

“He’s traveling to the border,” Steve informed them, slightly dazed. “Says he’ll meet us at the Falls.”

“The Falls?” repeated Natasha. “You mean…?”

“Yes.” Steve stood up. “We’re going to Niagara Falls.”

And so, another journey began, this time with Helen Cho and Bucky Barnes as two new passengers in the minivan.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> First part of their journey is over. I thank RsCreighton and SomethingIncorporeal for their encouragements and for working with me on this. They both are amazing and I love how they made my story come alive.
> 
> Some time next week, I'm going on a work trip which may keep me away from AO3 for a month or so. I may not be able to post the sequel until I return. Even if I have internet access where I'm going, I won't be able to write, proofread and post chapters here. So please bear with me.
> 
> I'm really happy we got such a positive response from everyone. Thank you so much to all those who commented on this story. You have no idea how much your words mean to us.


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